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Oss-Ronen L, Tickotsky Moskovitz N, Levi H, Levin L, Cohen I. CASZ1 Regulates Late Epidermal Differentiation. J Invest Dermatol 2024:S0022-202X(24)00363-4. [PMID: 38763175 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2024.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Liat Oss-Ronen
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Nili Tickotsky Moskovitz
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Hilla Levi
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Idan Cohen
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
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2
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Schwartz B, Levi H, Menon G, Maria R, Upcher A, Kotlovski Y, Oss-Ronen L, Cohen I. ZNF750 Regulates Skin Barrier Function by Driving Cornified Envelope and Lipid Processing Pathways. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:296-306.e3. [PMID: 37660780 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The epidermis is a constantly renewing stratified epithelial tissue that provides essential protective barrier functions. The major barrier is located at the outermost layers of the epidermis, formed by terminally differentiated keratinocytes reinforced by proteins of their cornified envelope and sequestered intercellular lipids. Disruptions to epidermal differentiation characterize various skin disorders. ZNF750 is an epithelial transcription factor essential for in vitro keratinocyte differentiation, whose truncating mutation in humans causes autosomal dominant psoriasis-like skin disease. In this study, we utilized an epidermal-specific Znf750 conditional knockout mouse model to uncover the role ZNF750 plays in epidermal development. We show that deletion of Znf750 in the developing skin does not block epidermal differentiation completely, suggesting in vivo compensatory feedback mechanisms, although it does result in impaired barrier function and perinatal lethality. Molecular dissection revealed ultrastructural defects in the differentiated layers of the epidermis, accompanied by alterations in the expression of ZNF750-dependent genes encoding key cornified envelope precursor proteins and lipid-processing enzymes, including gene subsets known to be mutated in human skin diseases involving impaired barrier function. Together, our findings provide molecular insights into the pathogenesis of human skin disease by linking ZNF750 to a subset of epidermal differentiation genes involved in barrier formation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bar Schwartz
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Hilla Levi
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | | | - Raquel Maria
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Alexander Upcher
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Yulia Kotlovski
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Liat Oss-Ronen
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Idan Cohen
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
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3
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Gillis K, Orellana WA, Wilson E, Parnell TJ, Fort G, Dadzie HE, Zhang X, Snyder EL. FoxA1/2-dependent epigenomic reprogramming drives lineage switching in lung adenocarcinoma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.30.564775. [PMID: 37961260 PMCID: PMC10634937 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability of cancer cells to alter their identity is essential for tumor survival and progression. Loss of the pulmonary lineage specifier NKX2-1 within KRAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) enhances tumor progression and results in a pulmonary-to-gastric lineage switch that is dependent upon the activity of pioneer factors FoxA1 and FoxA2; however, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we show that FoxA1/2 reprogram the epigenetic landscape of NKX2-1-negative LUAD to facilitate a gastric identity. After Nkx2-1 deletion, FoxA1/2 mediate demethylation of gastric-defining genes through recruitment of TET3, an enzyme that induces DNA demethylation. H3K27ac ChIP-seq and HiChIP show that FoxA1/2 also control the activity of regulatory elements and their 3D interactions at gastric loci. Furthermore, oncogenic KRAS is required for the FoxA1/2-dependent epigenetic reprogramming. This work demonstrates the role of FoxA1/2 in rewiring the methylation and histone landscape and cis-regulatory dynamics of NKX2-1-negative LUAD to drive cancer cell lineage switching.
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4
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Li Y, Wang Y, Zou Q, Li S, Zhang F. KLF3 Transcription Activates WNT1 and Promotes the Growth and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer via Activation of the WNT/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway. J Transl Med 2023; 103:100078. [PMID: 36827869 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2023.100078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor Krüppel-like factor (KLF) 3 is one of the members of the KLF family, which plays an important role in tumor progression. Nevertheless, the role of KLF3 in the growth and metastasis of gastric cancer (GC) still needs to be elucidated. Bioinformatics analysis showed that KLF3 was overexpressed in patients with GC, and the high expression of KLF3 was correlated with poor survival. KLF3 was also overexpressed in GC clinical samples and cell lines. In vitro functional role of KLF3 in GC cells was explored by a gain-of-function and loss-of-function assay. Overexpressed KLF3 promoted the cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of GC cells, whereas suppressed KLF3 inhibited these biological behaviors. The clinical samples and bioinformatics analysis showed that WNT1 was also highly expressed in GC tumor tissues and positively correlated with KLF3 expression. The luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation result confirmed that KLF3 could directly bind to the WNT1 promoter to increase the transcriptional activity of WNT1, thus regulating its expression. Overexpressed KLF3 enhanced the protein expression level of p-GSK3β(Ser9) and β-catenin, the key elements in the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. Repression of KLF3 decreased the level of p-GSK3β(Ser9) and β-catenin. Immunofluorescence images showed that KLF3 promoted nuclear β-catenin accumulation. Inhibition of WNT1 attenuated the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of KLF3-overexpressing GC cells. Moreover, the xenograft mouse model confirmed that KLF3 promotes GC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Our results demonstrated that KLF3 activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway via WNT1 to promote GC tumor growth and metastasis, indicating that repression of KLF3 may act as a potential therapeutic target for patients with GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Endoscopy Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Qinguang Zou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jilin Cancer Hospital, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Shouqing Li
- Tumor Integrative Medicine Center, Jilin Province People's Hospital, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
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5
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Yang BA, Larouche JA, Sabin KM, Fraczek PM, Parker SCJ, Aguilar CA. Three-dimensional chromatin re-organization during muscle stem cell aging. Aging Cell 2023; 22:e13789. [PMID: 36727578 PMCID: PMC10086523 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related skeletal muscle atrophy or sarcopenia is a significant societal problem that is becoming amplified as the world's population continues to increase. The regeneration of damaged skeletal muscle is mediated by muscle stem cells, but in old age muscle stem cells become functionally attenuated. The molecular mechanisms that govern muscle stem cell aging encompass changes across multiple regulatory layers and are integrated by the three-dimensional organization of the genome. To quantitatively understand how hierarchical chromatin architecture changes during muscle stem cell aging, we generated 3D chromatin conformation maps (Hi-C) and integrated these datasets with multi-omic (chromatin accessibility and transcriptome) profiles from bulk populations and single cells. We observed that muscle stem cells display static behavior at global scales of chromatin organization during aging and extensive rewiring of local contacts at finer scales that were associated with variations in transcription factor binding and aberrant gene expression. These data provide insights into genome topology as a regulator of molecular function in stem cell aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jacqueline A Larouche
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Sabin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Paula M Fraczek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Stephen C J Parker
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Carlos A Aguilar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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6
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Bayesian model and selection signature analyses reveal risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1348. [PMID: 36482174 PMCID: PMC9731970 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease with clinical similarities to human atopic dermatitis. Several dog breeds are at increased risk for developing this disease but previous genetic associations are poorly defined. To identify additional genetic risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis, we here apply a Bayesian mixture model adapted for mapping complex traits and a cross-population extended haplotype test to search for disease-associated loci and selective sweeps in four dog breeds at risk for atopic dermatitis. We define 15 associated loci and eight candidate regions under selection by comparing cases with controls. One associated locus is syntenic to the major genetic risk locus (Filaggrin locus) in human atopic dermatitis. One selection signal in common type Labrador retriever cases positions across the TBC1D1 gene (body weight) and one signal of selection in working type German shepherd controls overlaps the LRP1B gene (brain), near the KYNU gene (psoriasis). In conclusion, we identify candidate genes, including genes belonging to the same biological pathways across multiple loci, with potential relevance to the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis. The results show genetic similarities between dog and human atopic dermatitis, and future across-species genetic comparisons are hereby further motivated.
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7
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Mermoud L, Shutova M, Diaz‐Barreiro A, Talabot‐Ayer D, Drukala J, Wolnicki M, Kaya G, Boehncke W, Palmer G, Borowczyk J. IL-38 orchestrates proliferation and differentiation in human keratinocytes. Exp Dermatol 2022; 31:1699-1711. [PMID: 35833307 PMCID: PMC9796879 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Interleukin (IL)-38 is a member of the IL-1 cytokine family with reported anti-inflammatory activity. The highest constitutive IL-38 expression is detected in the skin, where it is mainly produced by differentiating keratinocytes. However, little data are available regarding its biological functions. In this study, we investigated the role of IL-38 in skin physiology. We demonstrate here that dermal fibroblasts and epithelial cells of skin appendages, such as eccrine sweat glands and sebaceous glands, also express IL-38. Next, using two- and three-dimensional cell cultures, we show that endogenous expression of IL-38 correlates with keratinocyte differentiation and its ectopic overexpression inhibits keratinocyte proliferation and enhances differentiation. Accordingly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed downregulation of IL-38 in skin pathologies characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation, such as psoriasis and basal or squamous cell carcinoma. Finally, intracellular IL-38 can shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and its overexpression modulates the activity of the transcription regulators YAP and ID1. Our results indicate that IL-38 can act independently from immune system activation and suggest that it may affect the epidermis directly by decreasing proliferation and promoting differentiation of keratinocytes. These data suggest an important role of keratinocyte-derived IL-38 in skin homeostasis and pathologies characterized by epidermal alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Mermoud
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Maria Shutova
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Alejandro Diaz‐Barreiro
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Dominique Talabot‐Ayer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Justyna Drukala
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and BiotechnologyJagiellonian UniversityCracowPoland
| | - Michal Wolnicki
- Department of Pediatric UrologyJagiellonian University Medical CollegeCracowPoland
| | - Gürkan Kaya
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Clinical PathologyUniversity Hospital of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Wolf‐Henning Boehncke
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Dermatology and VenereologyUniversity HospitalsGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Gaby Palmer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Julia Borowczyk
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
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8
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Walker CJ, Batan D, Bishop CT, Ramirez D, Aguado BA, Schroeder ME, Crocini C, Schwisow J, Moulton K, Macdougall L, Weiss RM, Allen MA, Dowell R, Leinwand LA, Anseth KS. Extracellular matrix stiffness controls cardiac valve myofibroblast activation through epigenetic remodeling. Bioeng Transl Med 2022; 7:e10394. [PMID: 36176599 PMCID: PMC9472021 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is a progressive fibrotic disease that is caused by thickening and stiffening of valve leaflets. At the cellular level, quiescent valve interstitial cells (qVICs) activate to myofibroblasts (aVICs) that persist within the valve tissue. Given the persistence of myofibroblasts in AVS, epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated. Here, we studied changes that occur in VICs during myofibroblast activation by using a hydrogel matrix to recapitulate different stiffnesses in the valve leaflet during fibrosis. We first compared the chromatin landscape of qVICs cultured on soft hydrogels and aVICs cultured on stiff hydrogels, representing the native and diseased phenotypes respectively. Using assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-Seq), we found that open chromatin regions in aVICs were enriched for transcription factor binding motifs associated with mechanosensing pathways compared to qVICs. Next, we used RNA-Seq to show that the open chromatin regions in aVICs correlated with pro-fibrotic gene expression, as aVICs expressed higher levels of contractile fiber genes, including myofibroblast markers such as alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), compared to qVICs. In contrast, chromatin remodeling genes were downregulated in aVICs compared to qVICs, indicating qVICs may be protected from myofibroblast activation through epigenetic mechanisms. Small molecule inhibition of one of these remodelers, CREB Binding Protein (CREBBP), prevented qVICs from activating to aVICs. Notably, CREBBP is more abundant in valves from healthy patients compared to fibrotic valves. Our findings reveal the role of mechanical regulation in chromatin remodeling during VIC activation and quiescence and highlight one potential therapeutic target for treating AVS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cierra J. Walker
- Materials Science and Engineering ProgramUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Dilara Batan
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Biochemistry DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Carrie T. Bishop
- Chemical and Biological Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Daniel Ramirez
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Brian A. Aguado
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Chemical and Biological Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Megan E. Schroeder
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Chemical and Biological Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Claudia Crocini
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Jessica Schwisow
- Division of CardiologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Karen Moulton
- Division of CardiologyUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Laura Macdougall
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Chemical and Biological Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Robert M. Weiss
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of IowaIowa CityIowaUSA
| | - Mary A. Allen
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Robin Dowell
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Leslie A. Leinwand
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Kristi S. Anseth
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Chemical and Biological Engineering DepartmentUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
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9
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Li J, Tiwari M, Chen Y, Luanpitpong S, Sen GL. CDK12 Is Necessary to Promote Epidermal Differentiation Through Transcription Elongation. Stem Cells 2022; 40:435-445. [PMID: 35325240 PMCID: PMC9199850 DOI: 10.1093/stmcls/sxac002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Proper differentiation of the epidermis is essential to prevent water loss and to protect the body from the outside environment. Perturbations in this process can lead to a variety of skin diseases that impacts 1 in 5 people. While transcription factors that control epidermal differentiation have been well characterized, other aspects of transcription control such as elongation are poorly understood. Here we show that of the two cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK12 and CDK13), that are known to regulate transcription elongation, only CDK12 is necessary for epidermal differentiation. Depletion of CDK12 led to loss of differentiation gene expression and absence of skin barrier formation in regenerated human epidermis. CDK12 binds to genes that code for differentiation promoting transcription factors (GRHL3, KLF4, and OVOL1) and is necessary for their elongation. CDK12 is necessary for elongation by promoting Ser2 phosphorylation on the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II and the stabilization of binding of the elongation factor SPT6 to target genes. Our results suggest that control of transcription elongation by CDK12 plays a prominent role in adult cell fate decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingting Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Department of Burns, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Manisha Tiwari
- Department of Dermatology and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yifang Chen
- Department of Dermatology and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sudjit Luanpitpong
- Siriraj Center of Excellence for Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - George L Sen
- Department of Dermatology and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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10
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Li J, Chen Y, Tiwari M, Bansal V, Sen GL. Regulation of integrin and extracellular matrix genes by HNRNPL is necessary for epidermal renewal. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001378. [PMID: 34543262 PMCID: PMC8452081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Stratified epithelia such as the epidermis require coordinated regulation of stem and progenitor cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation to maintain homeostasis. Integrin-mediated anchorage of the basal layer stem cells of the epidermis to the underlying dermis through extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is crucial for this process. It is currently unknown how the expression of these integrins and ECM genes are regulated. Here, we show that the RNA-binding protein (RBP) heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (HNRNPL) binds to these genes on chromatin to promote their expression. HNRNPL recruits RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to integrin/ECM genes and is required for stabilizing Pol II transcription through those genes. In the absence of HNRNPL, the basal layer of the epidermis where the stem cells reside prematurely differentiates and detaches from the underlying dermis due to diminished integrin/ECM expression. Our results demonstrate a critical role for RBPs on chromatin to maintain stem and progenitor cell fate by dictating the expression of specific classes of genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingting Li
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yifang Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Manisha Tiwari
- Department of Dermatology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Varun Bansal
- Department of Dermatology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - George L. Sen
- Department of Dermatology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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11
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Hu H, Yin S, Ma R, Chen R, Li S, Chen Y, Fei H, Yang L. CREBBP knockdown suppressed proliferation and promoted chemo-sensitivity via PERK-mediated unfolded protein response in ovarian cancer. J Cancer 2021; 12:4595-4603. [PMID: 34149923 PMCID: PMC8210551 DOI: 10.7150/jca.56135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
CREBBP, in short CBP, has been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis in various cancers, but its role in ovarian cancer remains largely unexplored. In our study, survival analysis of CBP in patients with ovarian cancer was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database, then we utilized specific shRNA targeting CREBBP to block the expression of CBP, and detected its effect on cell proliferation and chemo-sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells. The results showed that high expression of CBP was correlated with poor prognosis in ovarian cancer patients. CREBBP knockdown in ovarian cancer cells significantly inhibited tumor proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, CREBBP knockdown promoted chemo-sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells. Mechanism research further demonstrated that CREBBP knockdown attenuated unfolded protein response (UPR), which was mediated by PERK/ATF4/STC2 signaling pathway. Our research linked CBP and UPR in ovarian cancer and may provide new strategies for the clinical treatment of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyang Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Yin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruyue Ma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rujun Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuqing Li
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, 128 Shenyang Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaping Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - He Fei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Lina Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, 801 Heqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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12
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Dou S, Wang Q, Qi X, Zhang B, Jiang H, Chen S, Duan H, Lu Y, Dong J, Cao Y, Xie L, Zhou Q, Shi W. Molecular identity of human limbal heterogeneity involved in corneal homeostasis and privilege. Ocul Surf 2021; 21:206-220. [PMID: 33964410 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtos.2021.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The corneal limbus maintains the homeostasis, immune and angiogenic privilege of cornea. This study aimed to depict the landscape of human limbal tissues by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). METHODS Single cells of human limbus collected from donor corneas were subjected to 10x scRNA-seq, followed by clustering cell types through the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and unbiased computational informatic analysis. Immunofluorescent staining was performed using human corneas to validate the analysis results. RESULTS 47,627 cells acquired from six human limbal tissues were collected and subjected to scRNA-seq. 14 distinct clusters were identified and 8 cell types were annotated with representative markers. In-depth dissection revealed three limbal epithelial cell subtypes and refined the X-Y-Z hypothesis of corneal epithelial maintenance. We further unveiled two cell states with higher stemness (TP63+ and CCL20+ cells), and two other differentiated cell states (GPHA2+ and KRT6B + cells) in homeostatic limbal stem/progenitor cells (LSPCs) that differ in transcriptional profiles. Cell-cell communication analysis revealed the central role of LSPCs and their bidirectional regulation with various niche cells. Moreover, comparative analysis between limbus and skin deciphered the pivotal contribution of limbal immune cells, vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells to corneal immune and angiogenic privilege. CONCLUSIONS The human limbus atlas provided valuable resources and foundations for understanding corneal biology, disease and potential interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengqian Dou
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qun Wang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xia Qi
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shengwen Chen
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Haoyun Duan
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yao Lu
- OE Biotech Co., Ltd, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Yihai Cao
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lixin Xie
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qingjun Zhou
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Weiyun Shi
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Shandong Eye Institute, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Qingdao, China; Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Qingdao, China; Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
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Li J, Bansal V, Tiwari M, Chen Y, Sen GL. ELL Facilitates RNA Polymerase II-Mediated Transcription of Human Epidermal Proliferation Genes. J Invest Dermatol 2020; 141:1352-1356.e3. [PMID: 33157094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jingting Li
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Varun Bansal
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Manisha Tiwari
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Yifang Chen
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - George L Sen
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, UCSD Stem Cell Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
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